Etihad Airways codeshares on first direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart

Etihad Airways and partner airberlin celebrated the launch of the German carrier’s new service from Stuttgart to Abu Dhabi last night, with the inaugural flight receiving a traditional water canon salute on arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The
daily service is airberlin’s first long-haul route from Stuttgart, capital of
Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state, and also serves as the first direct
connection between the thriving economic city and Abu Dhabi, capital of the
United Arab Emirates. It is operated using a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft,
offering a total of 12 Business Class seats and 132 Economy Class seats.

Etihad Airways has placed its ‘EY’ code on the flights as part of a
codeshare agreement with airberlin, and connects the service with a range of
business and leisure destinations across its network in the GCC region, Indian Subcontinent,
South East Asia and Australia.

Together, airberlin and
Etihad Airways now operate 63 flights per week from Germany to Abu Dhabi,
flying twice daily from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, and daily
from Stuttgart.

James Hogan,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “We congratulate
airberlin on its inaugural flight between Stuttgart and Abu Dhabi. This route
is part of the airline’s long-term network development and as a codeshare
partner on the flights, Etihad Airways will drive traffic on the route, provide
onward connections to destinations across our network, and offer even more
opportunities for airberlin and Etihad Airways guests to earn Etihad Guest
miles.”

Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer
of airberlin, said: “The new flights from Stuttgart to Abu Dhabi mark an
important milestone for airberlin. The Stuttgart area is one of Germany’s most
economically important regions and we see great potential for our service to Abu
Dhabi.”